Somali President to resign on Monday – aid

December 28, 2008 (MOGADISHU) – The embattled Somalia’s president is expected to resign Monday in a bid to end the ongoing political crisis in his government and to help efforts for peace in the war-torn country.

President Abdullahi Yusuf will announce his resignation during a speech he has to deliver in a special session of the country’s parliament. “He decided to step down because he does not want to be seen as an obstacle to peace in Somalia,” said Abdirashid Sed a close aid.

The president Yusuf has been criticised since parliament last week blocked his attempt to fire Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. Also, he has been accused by Western nations and regional leaders of being an obstacle to a peace.

Hussein, a former humanitarian worker with broad international support, has welcomed talks with factions fighting in the civil war. He backed a peace deal signed with Islamic moderates that was criticized by Yusuf, a former warlord from one of Somalia’s biggest clans.

There are high expectations that Yusuf’s expected resignation and the departure of the Ethiopians may persuade the strongest and most hardline Islamic militia, Al-Shebab, to take part in peace talks. But some analysts say al-Shabab’s territorial gains have put it in a strong position and would have little incentive to talk with the government.

The political infighting has crippled the Somali government, which came to power two years ago after Ethiopian troops attacked an Islamic administration that had ruled much of the south and the capital for six months.

Any political solution would also depend on the powerful clan warlords and the businessmen who have profited from the chaos in Somalia, with its government driven with corruption and squabbling.

Somalia has been without an effective central government for 17 years, and the Ethiopian troops that have been propping up a feeble transitional government since 2006 are due to withdraw within days.

(ST)